New study suggests Adders, toads and lizards are disappearing from UK. Other amphibians and reptiles are also under threat.
Slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes are also becoming less widespread, as are the common toad, common frog and the great crested newt.
New study suggests Adders, toads and lizards are disappearing from UK. Other amphibians and reptiles are also under threat.
The native adder is effectively disappearing from our landscape, the study has revealed.
The first nationwide survey of UK amphibian and reptiles has found that Britain’s most widespread snake, the adder, is in decline.
Slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes are also becoming less widespread, as are the common toad, common frog and the great crested newt.
Common Toad
The only species found to be increasing its range is the palmate newt.
These startling trends come from a report produced by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust, which has been gathering data on 12 species since 2007.
The trust’s National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) has presented its interim findings, which cover the first half of the six-year survey period from 2007 to 2012.
The full survey aims to establish baselines for widespread species – figures against which future status changes can be assessed.
The survey focuses on widespread amphibian and reptile population. These include the great crested, smooth and palmate newts, common toad and frog, common lizard, slow-worm, grass snake and adder, as well as the wall and green lizards and agile frog in Jersey.
The rarest species, such as the great crested newt, already have high levels of protection, but it is strongly suspected that some formerly common species now in decline.
I know in my garden there are plenty of Slow Worms and Common Toads, I haven’t seen an Adder for a couple of years, but I must confess I don’t really make a point of looking for them — perhaps this year I shall try and find out if there are any still living around here.
I also used to keep sand lizards when I was a kid, think a Cryptoworld Summer Survey will be in order!
In the late 80s I started investigating UFOs and crop circles and joined the CCCS (Centre for Crop Circle Studies) and a local group researching strange sightings and reports along the south coast of Dorset (UK). In the early ’90s I started my own research group called SPS (Strange Phenomena Studies), this was renamed in 2004 to Cryptoworld.
